Tim O'Connor | |
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![]() O'Connor in 2019 | |
Born | Brisbane, Australia | 13 September 1981
Occupation(s) | Theatre director, theatrical producer, playwright, author |
Years active | 1993–2022 |
Tim O'Connor (born 13 September 1981) is an Australian theatre director, producer, and playwright.
When O'Connor finished school he volunteered in the office at Harvest Rain Theatre Company for three years. He was eventually employed and became more involved in administrative work. [1] His first paid directors role was for a community play at Harvest Rain. [2]
Since 2004, O'Connor was the Artistic Director of the Harvest Rain Theatre Company and subsequently became the CEO. [2] [3] The company, rebranded as AVT Live, closed in 2022 after multiple allegations of sexual crimes indicated Tim as the perpetrator. [4]
He has directed Harvest Rain productions of musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar , [5] Hairspray , [6] Oklahoma! , [7] and Spamalot , [8] as well as writing, directing, and producing the world premiere stage adaptation of The Neverending Story . [9]
O'Connor founded the Brisbane Academy of Musical Theatre. [10] [11] Harvest Rain also ran Youth Theatre Workshops and the Australian Musical Theatre Workshop which hosted workshops and masterclasses in Brisbane and regional centres. [12] [13]
In 2011, O'Connor won a Groundling Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Queensland Theatre Industry. [14] In 2012 he was nominated for Brisbane's person of the year. [9] In 2014, he won a Gold Matilda Award for his work with Harvest Rain and was also nominated for Best Director for Spamalot . [15]
In November 2022, O'Connor was arrested and charged with multiple sex offences against children and young adults. [16] [17]
The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improv techniques were taught by Del Close and other members of the Second City, located in Chicago and later St. Louis. They used these techniques to produce sketches and improvised scenes. Its name is taken from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act III, Scene II: "...to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumbshows and noise." In 1975 the troupe purchased and moved into its location on Melrose Avenue.
Spamalot is a stage musical with score by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, with lyrics and book by Idle. Based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the musical offers a highly irreverent parody of Arthurian legend, with the title being a portmanteau of Spam and Camelot.
Christopher Luverne Sieber is an American actor. He is best known for his roles Kevin Burke in Two of a Kind and Agatha Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Sir Dennis Galahad in Spamalot, and Lord Farquaad in Shrek the Musical. He has also played both male leads in the musical La Cage aux Folles.
Timothy David Minchin AM is an Australian actor, writer, musician, poet, composer, songwriter and comedian.
St Mary's College,, is an Australian Catholic secondary school for girls, located in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. The school accepts girl students from year 7 to year 12, drawing from a wide area of Ipswich, Queensland. The total enrolment is approximately 650. The school is a member of the Catholic Secondary Schoolgirls' Sports Association.
The Matilda Awards are awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, theatre, and performance in southeast Queensland.
Harvest Rain Theatre Company was a not-for-profit theatre company based in Brisbane, Australia. Beginning as an amateur company, it evolved into a professional musical theatre company presenting arena productions around Australia, before closing in 2022.
Hugh Vanstone is one of the UK’s foremost lighting designers. He has lit more than 160 productions, working in all spheres of live performance lighting, as well as exhibitions and architectural projects. His career has taken him all over the world and his work has been recognised with many awards, including a Tony Award for his lighting of Matilda the Musical, and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design in 1999, 2001, and 2004.
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply TheOlivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Awards, but they were renamed in honour of the British actor of the same name in 1984.
Simon Gallaher is an Australian singer, actor, director and pianist.
Naomi Price is an Australian stage actress and singer, best known for appearing in the fourth season of the Australian version of The Voice, finishing in fifth place, and her roles in original cabarets Rumour Has It: Sixty Minutes Inside Adele and Wrecking Ball
Nelle Lee is a Brisbane-based actress, producer and writer best known for theatre work.
Roald Dahl's Matilda, also known simply as Matilda and Matilda the Musical, is a musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly. It is based on the 1988 novel Matilda by Roald Dahl. The musical's narrative centres on Matilda Wormwood, a precocious five-year-old girl with the gift of telekinesis, who loves reading, overcomes obstacles caused by her family and school, and helps her teacher to reclaim her life. After a twelve-week trial run staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) at Stratford-upon-Avon from November 2010 to January 2011, it received its West End premiere on 24 November 2011 at the Cambridge Theatre and its Broadway premiere on 11 April 2013 at the Shubert Theatre.
Christine Whelan Browne is an Australian performer who has worked extensively in musical theatre as an actress, dancer and singer. She has also appeared on television shows and in films. In March 2012, she married fellow performer, Rohan Browne.
Ogunquit Playhouse is a regional theater on 10 Main Street in Ogunquit, Maine. Ogunquit Playhouse is one of the last remaining summer theaters from the Summer Stock which still produces musical theatre. The Playhouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Level of Significance "in consideration of the significant contributions made by its founder Walter J. Hartwig and the Playhouse to Performing Arts Education throughout the nation."
The Sunshine Club is an Australian musical with book and lyrics by Wesley Enoch and music by John Rodgers.
Ladies in Black is an Australian musical with music and lyrics by Tim Finn and book by Carolyn Burns, based on the 1993 novel The Women in Black by Madeleine St John.
Jason Klarwein is an Australian actor, director, producer and artistic director, known for his involvement with Grin & Tonic theatre troupe.
The Hayes Theatre is a 111-seat theatre specialising in music theatre and cabaret in Potts Point, Sydney, Australia. It is named after the Australian performer Nancye Hayes.
Elise McCann is an Australian actress and musical theatre performer most well known for originating the role of Miss Honey in the Australian production of Matilda the Musical and as Lucille Ball in Everybody Loves Lucy.